


Scandals and Gossip

by TheEigthPillarGeneral



Series: Black Moon [4]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Idols, Interviews, M/M, Music Videos - Freeform, Slow Romance, Touring, Visual Kei, mentions of BDSM, music industry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-07 13:02:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14081493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEigthPillarGeneral/pseuds/TheEigthPillarGeneral
Summary: Having landed an interview with Hirako Shinji and Yadomaru Lisa, Renji and the rest of the band plan out their next music video and discuss the latest news of the music industry with Rangiku and Orihime. Meanwhile, Byakuya watches the music video of 'Gomi Tame'.





	Scandals and Gossip

**Author's Note:**

  * For [junko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/junko/gifts), [Josey (cestus)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cestus/gifts).



> I made a little change to this story. Renji has actually been in the band for a few months by now and recorded two other songs already, in addition to 'Gomi Tame'. Also, Hitsugaya is actually looking like how he does when his Bankai makes him age.

The deadline for songwriting had passed. By that time, Renji had already fully developed and written his share of songs, and had even composed different melodies for the ones he felt were the best, namely ‘Stray Dog’, ‘Rosa Rubicundior, Lilio Candidior’, and another song he’d written called ‘Snake Tail’.

Meanwhile, Renji had done his very first music video with Black Moon weeks ago: the music video for ‘Gomi Tame’. It hadn’t been too complicated; they’d worked with Kojima Mizuiro, a popular director of music videos, and filmed the video in the graffitied parkade of an abandoned office building. The video had already been released, becoming one of the most searched videos within days of release.

While the video had just been of them playing the song in the parkade, Renji had found the experience pretty fun. The costume he wore, made by Ishida Uryuu, had been pretty cool and was going to be part of his signature look for this album period. During the filming, red lights had shone upon them as they played before the cameras, and Renji had lost himself in the music as he had played the ever-familiar chords of the song. He never thought that the video could become so popular, but it was beginning to get them noticed among the music industry, especially the Visual-Kei scene.

In fact, it got the attention of none other than Hirako Shinji and Yadomaru Lisa, the hosts of the music-exclusive show Vizards TV, where they interview various artists about their current projects or fun tidbits about them. And tonight, Black Moon was going to be interviewed on Vizards TV.

Today’s meeting was about filming the music video of ‘Black & White’, the other new single that had been written by Ichigo. It was also slated to join their upcoming album along with the third new single: ‘Momoiro no Hana’ by Hitsugaya.

They’d been approached by another popular music video director: Urahara Kisuke, who also happened to be a longtime friend of Yoruichi. Which is how they found themselves in a meeting room, discussing the plans of the music video that turned out to be a lot more… risqué than what any of them expected.

“Hold on, are we doing a music video or porn?!” Ichigo demanded, blushing as he looked through the storyboards.

“A little bit of both, of course!” Urahara simply said, his eyes glinting mischievously.

Yoruichi snickered slightly as she watched the band members’ stunned reactions at what Urahara had planned for the video.

“But how the hell does our ‘inner demon’ relate to BDSM?!” Hitsugaya asked, looking stunned at the proposed costumes.

“So it can look sexy!” Yoruichi told him, grinning mischievously.

“I mean, I personally don’t mind, but this is a little bit… much…” Renji said, glancing uneasily at one of the storyboard panels. He’d experimented with BDSM with past lovers, but it had never been hardcore stuff.

That seemed to get the mood back to a serious discussion.

“The intention for this video isn’t to be extremely explicit,” Urahara explained. “‘Black & White’ is a song about how everyone has a dark side to them, right? What I had in mind was to capture each of the members’ dark sides in a more ‘cool’ or sexy way, I suppose. And besides, it’s not straight up S&M. If anything, it’s going to be a slight motif throughout the video.”

He leaned back in his chair. “Think about your inner demons a little,” Urahara told them. “What exactly is a side to you that you don’t want anyone to see?”

Renji thought for a moment. For so long, he hated being in other people’s way. He was afraid that if he held onto the people close to him, he’d prevent them from doing better. It was the main reason as to why he’d let go of Rukia that time. And since then, he’d been filled with bitter regrets and self-loathing that had twisted into a need to dominate, to be in control so that he could hide his regrets.

Those were Renji’s demons: a passionate need to dominate in order to bury his regrets and weaknesses.

“I’m always letting go of the people I care about,” Renji said, getting Urahara’s attention. “I don’t want to get in the way but I always end up regretting it. All my regrets end up twisting into a desire to dominate, to be in control.”

Urahara raised an eyebrow. “Interesting.” He took a few notes down before glancing around at everyone. “And any other inner demons from any of you?”

Chad was next. “Sometimes… I fear that I haven’t become as peaceful as I thought I have,” he confessed. “I fear that I’ve let my abuelo down with some of my… destructive thoughts.”

“I always isolate myself from the world when I’m tormented,” Ichigo said. “I think I’m protecting others when I don’t tell them what’s happening, but it’s never ended well.”

Hisagi looked thoughtful. “I’m… afraid,” he admitted. “I’m afraid of who I am, that people will leave me if they see my dark side. But I don’t want anyone to get too close because I’m afraid I might hurt them.”

“I’ve always been lonely,” Hitsugaya said. “I had no friends growing up and I was seen as weird by a lot of other people. So I’m always trying to prove that I’m not weird, that I’m more than what I seem, actually.”

Urahara nodded as he took notes down. “Very interesting, thank you for sharing these with me.” His voice was sincere. “I believe that this will be one fine video to shoot.”

Yoruichi grinned. “Just make sure it’s not too obscene,” she said teasingly. “We wouldn’t want them to die of embarrassment, would we?”

“Again, it’s a music video, not porn!” Ichigo added.

“Very well,” Urahara said, chuckling at Ichigo’s outburst. “In a few days, I’ll give you the shooting schedule and plans, so I hope you’ll be prepared.”

The discussion then moved onto the release of ‘Dark of the Bleeding Moon’, which was slated for late November. Since it was currently late March, and they’d already released three singles as part of the album, the next few months were going to be pretty busy with recording songs, filming music videos, and promoting the album in general. At the next meeting, they would all come to a decision on what songs would be on the album and which ones would be released as singles for a later time.

“Did you hear the news this morning?” Hisagi asked.

They’d just finished their meeting so they decided to get some coffee with Rangiku and Orihime and discuss some news within the music industry.

Renji glanced at him. “About Kira Izuru? Who _hasn’t_ heard about what happened?” he asked, shaking his head. “Poor guy. Ichimaru should go to jail for what he did.”

Hitsugaya scowled. “Damn right,” he agreed.

“Like, did you even see how he looked in the news?” Rangiku asked. She sighed, moving a strand of strawberry-blonde hair away from her face. “He looks _miserable._ Who knows what Gin put him through.”

“You think you know someone when you really don’t,” Hitsugaya sighed. “I know how that feels.”

“You knew him, right?” Ichigo asked Hisagi. “Kira, I mean?”

“Yeah, he and I were in a band together back in college,” Hisagi was saying. “I lost touch with him after he signed on with Kyoka Suigetsu, though. Last time I met him, I also met Ichimaru. He seemed really happy, though…” He sighed. “I should’ve noticed.”

“What Kira did was brave, though,” Chad pointed out. “He risked his whole career to speak out against his manager, just so no one else would get hurt.”

Orihime nodded, her eyes filled with worry. “I hope Kira-kun can join Senbonzakura Music,” she said, trying to sound optimistic. “Things are much better here, really! He’ll have lots of friends who’ll help him out!”

They nodded in agreement.

“Anyways, no more depressing things!” Rangiku said, her mood brightening as she smiled playfully. “You know, we saw your music video for ‘Gomi Tame’. And you boys were awesome!”

“You liked it?” Hisagi asked, looking excited.

“We totally did! You all looked so hot, especially you, Renji!” Rangiku smiled at him. “While Ishida did great with your costumes, I do wish you were shirtless again.”

Renji snorted. “I can’t be shirtless all the time,” he said. “Ever heard the saying ‘less is more’?”

“But not when it comes to your tattoos!” Ichigo insisted. “Seriously! They’re so hot!”

“Geez, Ichigo, tone it down,” Hitsugaya told him. “We know you’re hot for Renji-”

“I am not!” Ichigo protested, blushing.

Renji couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “Don’t worry, Ichigo,” he teased, ruffling his hair. “No one can resist the tattoos.”

“Ishida-kun makes some good costumes, doesn’t he?” Orihime said, smiling. “He’s making costumes for Rangiku-chan and me for our upcoming tour!”

“Right! Congrats on your tour!” Ichigo remembered. “Sounds like it’s gonna be a lot of fun!”

“You bet! We’re gonna do the big venues this time! From Chiba to Ichikawa, Osaka to Hiroshima, Sendai to Fukuoka, and a finale at Tokyo Dome, the Beauty Queens are going big!” Rangiku said excitedly.

Renji recalled hearing the news about the Beauty Queens’ cross-country tour, known as _Goodbye Halcyon Days_ Tour. Named after their newest album, they would be going to some of the bigger music venues that he dreamed of performing in one day. Places like Omiya Sonic City, Sendai Sun Plaza, and Orix Theater were what Renji and the rest of Black Moon had their sights on for a possible tour in the future. And a finale in Tokyo Dome? That was their _dream._

“Sounds like it’s gonna be an awesome tour,” Renji said, smiling. “Good luck with it.”

“And good luck on your album!” Rangiku said, smiling. “It’s gonna be a lot of work, but I know it’ll be good!”

“And good luck with your interview tonight!” Orihime told them. “Rangiku-chan and I will be watching!”

“But seriously, an interview with Hirako and Yadomaru can guarantee a band’s popularity,” Rangiku added. “Anyways, we gotta get going. Time for another tour meeting.”

“Ah, yeah, we gotta get going too,” Chad said as they all got up from their chairs.

“It was nice talking to you, Matsumoto, Inoue,” Ichigo said.

Orihime blushed as she smiled. “Nice talking to you too!” she said. “Have a good one, you guys!”

“You too!” Hitsugaya said as they left the café.

* * *

Byakuya set the last of the files upon his desk, sighing in relief. It was finally done. He’d spent hours reviewing through budgets as well as resumés from potential employees and now that he’d finished, he relaxed and sat back in his chair as he read through the latest news under his label.

It was late March and the artists of Senbonzakura Music were making headlines one after the other. First, it was announced that Hinamori Momo had joined the cast of _Hell Verse,_ an upcoming anime series based on Aikawa Love’s hit manga series of the same name. Then there was the news of the Beauty Queens’ _Goodbye Halcyon Days_ Tour across Japan, for which tickets were selling out quite quickly.

And Black Moon had just released the music video of ‘Gomi Tame’, which quickly became one of the most-watched videos within weeks, and now they were going to be interviewed by Hirako Shinji and Yadomaru Lisa tonight.

Feeling curious, Byakuya picked up his phone and searched up the song. He hadn’t seen it yet, but he’d heard that it was quite good. With that thought in mind, he tapped on the video, tilting his phone as it started.

The video had been shot in the graffitied parking lot of an abandoned building, it appeared. The song started playing with a shot of Ichigo leaning against a column, dressed in the same clothes he wore at the concert, lip-syncing the lyrics to the gentle opening music. He appeared subdued and wistful, but only for a short moment as the shot changed to that of Ichigo standing with the rest of the band in the centre of the parking lot, red lights shining on them.

That shot only lasted a few seconds as the music dropped with Ichigo’s death growl into the microphone. Then the camera movements flashed briefly over each member passionately playing their instruments: Hitsugaya banging away at the drums, Chad playing his bass guitar, Hisagi headbanging while playing his V-shaped guitar, then Renji playing his own jagged guitar while doing a small hair flip.

Somehow, that small hair flip sent a rush of heat through Byakuya, especially with those copper-brown eyes that seemed much more piercing with his tattoos. When Ichigo began singing, the shots alternated every now and then, from shots with the entire band playing to shots of the individual members playing against the graffitied walls.

Renji’s costume looked so good, Byakuya observed. He wore a long maroon sleeveless coat with a large notched lapel and spikes lining the shoulders over a red silk tank top and black leather pants with black biker boots. The makeup on Renji’s face only made him look fiercer, with thick black eyeliner emphasizing his eyes, dark brown eyeshadow, and a slight amount of colour on his lips.

If Byakuya thought that Renji was gorgeous during the concert, then Renji was truly splendid in this video. Whoever designed Renji’s costume had taken his tattoos into mind and designed the clothes so that they showed off the tiger stripes on his arms and a little bit of the interlocking pattern on his muscular chest.

The guitar solo was just as awesome as the rest of the music, of course. Byakuya appreciated the way the camera lingered upon Renji’s fingers, adorned with silver rings, flying across the guitar’s neck and playing each note flawlessly.

Such dexterity had Byakuya biting his lips to stop himself from moaning. Though his face had definitely grown warmer and he found himself loosening his tie a little bit as his mouth went dry. The way Renji moved while playing, the way he lost himself in the music, Byakuya was spellbound.

Yes, the rest of the band was equally talented. Ichigo was a great singer, Hisagi was just as passionate as Renji, Chad had that no-nonsense air while playing his bass, and Hitsugaya was a talented drummer. But it was Renji who was really catching his eye.

Just as the video finished, the door opened and Rukia walked inside. “Nii-sama, how-” She stopped when she heard the familiar ending of ‘Gomi Tame’.

Looking at Byakuya, Rukia smiled as she raised an eyebrow. “So you saw their new music video as well, huh?” she said. “What do you think?”

“Simple, but well-done,” Byakuya said, regaining his composure. “Black Moon is very talented, I must admit.”

“Mmm, I can’t wait to work with them on their album,” Rukia agreed. “And Renji was especially good!”

 _Indeed he was._ Byakuya thought. Seeing the way Renji played, it was clear he loved playing the guitar. Watching him play with that passion warmed Byakuya’s heart as well.

What would it be like to play with passion again, like how he’d done back when Hisana had been alive? Now that Byakuya thought about it, he hadn’t even touched the grand piano in a long time. Would he be able to play with the same skill as he used to?

He was going to have to try it out one day.

“Are you going to be watching their interview tonight?” Rukia asked.

“If I have the time,” Byakuya said nonchalantly.

However, Rukia smiled knowingly. “If you wanna join me tonight, then the door will be unlocked,” she told him.

“Thank you, Rukia,” Byakuya said. “I’ll try to take you up on that offer.”

No, that was wrong. He _was_ going to take that offer.

* * *

“You really like that costume, don’t you?” Hisagi asked, watching Renji look at himself in the mirror.

Renji nodded, adjusting the long sleeveless coat. “It suits me,” he said.

It was almost time for their interview with Shinji and Lisa, so they were all backstage, having gotten dressed in their costumes from the ‘Gomi Tame’ music video. Renji had to admit, he loved the long coat, the red silk tank top, and even the leather pants. Not only did they show off the right amount of his tattoos, they made him look fierce and badass, especially with his hair flowing freely. His eyes were lined with black kohl again, along with dark-brown eyeshadow and bronze lip colour on his lips.

“Well of course.” Ishida Uryuu, the costume designer, adjusted his glasses while speaking. “I designed it with the intent of showing off just enough of your tattoos. After all, less is more.” He glanced at the rest of the band members. “I designed all your costumes to show off your best features, after all.”

Ichigo was dressed in the same outfit as the concert at Zepp Karakura. However, only a few adjustments were made, such as the jeans being switched for leather pants, and actual buttons being sewed on near the lapels. The chain and glove still stayed, since it really showed off his muscular arm, and suited his slightly long hair. His eyes were lined with kohl and black eyeshadow, and his lips were painted copper.

Hisagi wore a black sleeveless button-up shirt with a black spiked leather spaulder strapped over his chest and covering his right shoulder. Along with it, he wore black pants with stylish tears in the fabric that half covered the buckled spiked boots on his feet. Around his neck was a leather choker and matching armbands on his upper arms, along with two silver rings on his index and middle fingers. Along with black kohl, Hisagi had dark-brown eyeshadow upon his eyelids.

Chad was dressed in a burgundy militaristic-style velvet punk rave jacket over a black tank top, and black jeans with leather biker boots. His hair had been styled to look messy in a fashionable manner, and to show off his kohl-lined eyes decorated with burgundy eyeshadow.

Lastly, Hitsugaya was dressed in a stylishly-ragged white dress shirt that exposed his toned chest, along with a teal scarf, a pair of black jeans, and leather army boots. His white hair had been styled to look spiky and highlight his turquoise eyes, which were lined with black kohl and turquoise eyeshadow.

Yumichika finished touching up Chad’s makeup before stepping back, looking proud. “All of you look wonderful!” he praised. “Well, Ishida? What do you think?”

“The makeup suits their outfits,” Ishida agreed.

“Are we allowed to keep these?” Renji asked. “I really like mine.”

Ishida looked almost stunned. “No, you can’t!” he said vehemently. “What if I need to modify them? And besides, you can’t wear them off-stage at all! They’re costumes!”

“Whoa, calm down, Ishida!” Ichigo said. “It was just a question.”

Ishida took a deep breath. “Excuse me, I have a lot of feelings when it comes to clothes,” he simply said.

The door opened and Yoruichi stepped inside. “Guys, it’s almost time for the interview!” she told them. “Good luck! And try and play up your appeal too!”

Hitsugaya nodded. “Let’s go,” he said to the rest of the band.

They went out onto the rather colourful-looking TV set just as Shinji finished his energetic introduction of Black Moon. As they walked on, they were met with applause and cheers from the audience, prompting them to smile as they sat down, with Ichigo, Hitsugaya, and Chad sitting in the front seat while Hisagi and Renji sat in the seats behind. They smiled and bowed to the cheering crowd before greeting Shinji and Lisa.

Shinji, who wore a gray suit, spoke first as the applause died down. “Thanks for joining us tonight, you guys,” he said. “Why don’t you introduce yourselves?”

Ichigo nodded. “I’m Ichigo, the vocalist,” he said, bowing slightly.

“I’m Toshiro, the drummer,” Hitsugaya introduced, also bowing.

“I’m Chad, the bassist,” Chad said, bowing.

“I’m Shuuhei, the rhythm guitarist,” Hisagi said while bowing.

Then it was Renji, who bowed slightly and said, “I’m Renji, the lead guitarist.”

“Ah, right!” Lisa said, smiling as the audience clapped. “The brand new lead guitarist who really made an impression at the latest concert in Zepp Karakura, right?” This earned more cheers and applause, causing Renji to blush a little and hide his face.

“Eeeehhh?! He’s blushing?!” Shinji looked incredulous as Renji smiled.

“Huh, who woulda thought that he’s a big softie?” Lisa asked, earning laughter from the audience as Renji sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck while chuckling slightly.

When the applause died down, Shinji began asking the questions. “So, you guys have already released three new singles, each of which have made it to the charts, filmed the music video for the latest song, and you’re working on a new album,” he said. “How’s that going?”

Ichigo smiled. “It’s going pretty good, actually,” he said. “We’re gonna get pretty busy, but I’m sure that this album will be worth it.”

“That’s great to hear!” Lisa said. “So, before you guys started making music, what kind of jobs were you working?”

“Ah, I worked at my dad’s clinic and helped him out with patients in college, and then I worked at a jack-of-all-trades shop and did odd jobs for people,” Ichigo said. “Though, people always used to think it was a seafood shop. I can’t say the name, but I will say that people always think that we sold eel.”

The audience laughed along with Ichigo. When the laughter died down, Hitsugaya spoke next.

“I was a waiter at a restaurant,” he said. “Though, since I didn’t grow taller until a few years back, people always thought I was a kid.”

More laughter.

Chad was next. “I worked at a pet store,” he said.

“Awwwwww!” the audience cooed. Even Shinji and Lisa went ‘awww’ as Chad blushed slightly.

“I was a journalist for a local newspaper,” Hisagi said, chuckling. “Though, I tended to take on too many assignments.”

The audience laughed and clapped at that.

“And I was a construction worker,” Renji said.

“Damn, no wonder you’re so ripped!” Lisa said, smirking slightly. “Tell us, Renji-san. How many tattoos do you have?”

“Huh?” Renji’s eyes widened in surprise as the crowd cheered at the question.

Renji blushed and chuckled shyly. “Never woulda thought my tattoos would be so loved right now,” he said. “People used to think I was Yakuza!”

“You shouldn’t be ashamed!” Shinji encouraged. “Your tattoos are seriously amazing, so be proud of ‘em!”

“Now then, how far down do they go?” Lisa asked, earning loud cheers from the audience.

“Eh?!” Renji blushed again before he managed to answer the question. “Er, well… I… I prefer to let everyone guess! Besides, where’s the fun in knowing how far down they go?”

The audience laughed and applauded. Meanwhile, Hisagi leaned over and whispered, “Nice save,” in Renji’s ear.

“I suppose you’re right,” Lisa agreed. “But I will say, those tattoos really are gorgeous.”

For the umpteenth time since the cameras started rolling, Renji blushed as the audience cheered again.

**Author's Note:**

> And so Byakuya continues to unknowingly thirst over Renji (though who wouldn't thirst over him?), while Renji continues working with the band.
> 
> The names of the music venues in the fic are real music venues in Japan. Omiya Sonic City is a convention centre in Saitama, with a capacity for over 2,500 people in the large hall. Sendai Sun Plaza is a hotel in Sendai with a hall that seats up to 2,710 people. And Orix Theater is a concert hall in Osaka that seats 2,400 people. As for Tokyo Dome, it has the capacity for 42,000-55,000 people.
> 
> For 'Gomi Tame', this is how I imagine the song to be (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWTLA43GxlA)
> 
> For 'Black & White', this is how I imagine the song to sound (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bwz8Zn9TPSs)
> 
> For 'Momoiro no Hana', here's how I imagine the song to sound like (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ko2DL2WYfU)
> 
> Let me know how I did~ I'll see you in the next instalment!


End file.
